I didn’t become an actor because I wanted people to like me. I became an actor because I wanted to share stories about humanity.
Kerry Washington refuses to be typecast. With a career spanning a range of roles including playing Ray Charles’ second wife Della Bea Robinson in the Academy Award winning Ray (Universal, 2004) and Idi Amin’s wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland (Fox Searchlight, 2006), Washington has never backed down from challenging characters. In her newest film, Life is Hot in Cracktown (Lightning Media, 2009), which is based on Buddy Giovanni’s book by the same name (Giovanni also wrote and directed the movie), also stars Evan Ross and opens today, Washington plays the transgendered, crack-addicted prostitute Marybeth. She recently spoke to VIBE about the weight of the film and the importance of story telling.
VIBE: Cracktown seems like the most morbid film on your resume thus far. What attracted you to the script?
Kerry Washington: I’ve always talked really publicly about wanting to do work that scares me. I’m just drawn to films like this and was completely intimidated by this character, but I was also drawn to her. Really I just wanted to take the challenge.
So obviously you’re not transgender in real-life, or a prostitute, or a drug addict. How did you prepare for a role like Marybeth?
Um, part of it is to do the research because it is such a completely different cultural landscape. It’s a challenge to figure out what the realities are of this community. It’s almost like doing the work of an anthropologist. But then there’s this other part that’s a little bit like working as a psychologist, [asking] what the emotional truths are and how to connect to them. For example, I’m not a trans-woman but I know what it’s like to feel insecure as a woman. I know what it’s like to feel like I have bad habits that I can’t kick, even though I’m not a drug addict. So really there are ways to sort of bridge the divide.
Did you happen to meet with a trans-woman?
I did. I was really lucky to find this incredible woman named Valerie Spencer who became my consultant on the film. She was very generous with sharing her life and invited me into the transgender community. I completely immersed myself in those women.
I heard you usually take home a souvenir from each character you play? Did you do that for Marybeth?
I did (laughs). This is so bad. I took the hooker pumps… and I will tell you no more about them (laughs).
Ha! Why? Should we be keeping an eye out for them on the red carpet?
(laughs) I don’t really think they’re red carpet appropriate (laughs).
That’s funny. Now, it would be easy to say this film promotes a drug-free lifestyle, but is there an underlying message?
Definitely. This is a community that’s often ignored. Nobody deserves to have their stories told more than anybody else. It’s important to slow down and remember that we’re all human beings dealing with love and insecurity and trying to live life to the best we can. And that’s what helps us connect and remember, [to] think of disenfranchised members of society not as stereotypes or statistics, but as human beings.
Exactly. Ostracism needs to die.
That’s exactly it. And I’m so honored to be a part of a craft that helps people do that. [Film] is a really powerful form of communicating similarities within society.
Especially if you’re not typecast, which is a box you’ve managed to stay out of…
I think in some ways I’d probably be a lot successful if I let myself be typecast. But I have a natural need for diversity and I like to stay on top of my craft. I didn’t become an actor because I wanted people to like me. I became an actor because I wanted to share stories about humanity. So that’s what I do.
home